¶ Overview
Despite running to be governor of Iowa, as of 2026, Lahn maintained a home in Kansas and frequently flew to Kansas using his private plane. Lahn maintained a $2 million mansion in Wichita, never claimed his Iowa property as his primary residence, and regularly flew from Kansas to campaign events in Iowa. The Des Moines Register found that Lahn’s private plane took 37 trips to Wichita and spent 75 nights in Wichita between October 2025 and May 2026. Lahn said that if he wins the gubernatorial election, he would “be in Iowa as much as humanly possible.” Lahn re-registered to vote in Iowa in October 2024, barely qualifying for Iowa’s residence requirement to run for Iowa governor, after living in Kansas and voting in Kansas elections from 2018 to 2022. In 2024, Lahn’s wife purchased a home near Wichita and declared it her primary residence before selling it to an LLC in 2025. Prior to living in Kansas, Lahn also lived in Montana, working for Montana’s Americans for Prosperity chapter and Steve Daines. He also attended college in Colorado and worked for Cory Gardner.
¶ While Running For Iowa Governor, Lahn Maintained A Home In Kansas And Flew Frequently To Kansas And Said He Would “Be In Iowa As Much As Humanly Possible” If He Were To Win The Election
¶ Lahn Maintained A Home In Kansas And Flew To Kansas Frequently Using His Private Plane
HEADLINE: "GOP Governor Candidate Lahn Frequently Flies To Second House In Kansas" [Des Moines Register, 5/14/26]
While Running For Iowa Governor, Lahn Maintained A Home In Kansas And Flew To Kansas Frequently Using His Private Plane. According to the Des Moines Register, "‘Iowa First’ Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn maintains a home in Kansas and flies to the state frequently in a plane he owns as part of an LLC. In an interview, Lahn told the Des Moines Register the home and the flights are necessary to see some of the children he and his wife have from previous marriages. ‘I have a blended family, and some of my children are based out of Wichita,’ he said. ‘And I'm trying my best to be present for things. And also, we use the plane to shuttle kids back and forth from Iowa as a tool that we use.’" [Des Moines Register, 5/14/26]
¶ Daily Beast: Lahn Faced Questions Over His Iowa Residency While Living In A $2 Million Wichita Mansion And Regularly Traveling From Kansas To Campaign In Iowa
HEADLINE: "MAGA Gov Candidate Busted Living In Luxury Out Of State" [Daily Beast, 8/6/26]
HEADLINE: "Trump-Backed Candidate Caught Living Luxury Out-Of-State Lifestyle Despite 'Farmer' Image" [Raw Story, 8/6/26]
Daily Beast: Lahn Lived In A $2 Million Wichita Mansion, Regularly Traveled From Kansas To Iowa And Transferred The Property To An LLC Before Running For Iowa Governor. According to the Daily Beast, "A MAGA governor hopeful has secretly been living in a multimillion-dollar mansion hundreds of miles away from the state he wants to run, contradicting his humble farmer claims. Zach Lahn, the Trump-endorsed candidate in the Iowa gubernatorial race, has actually been living in Kansas for years, in a $2 million mansion, not in Iowa as he claims, a Daily Beast investigation can reveal. In 2024, Lahn and his wife Annie, the ex-daughter-in-law of billionaire donor Charles Koch, purchased their Wichita property, which he later transferred to an LLC in what appeared to be a move meant to hide his ownership—and true residency—as he planned to run for governor a few states over. The Kansas mansion sits on a large plot of land with a private lake. The luxurious home came equipped with an indoor pool, with one real estate outlet even calling the property ‘a place on Earth that was closest to heaven.’" [Daily Beast, 8/6/26]
Daily Beast: Lahn Never Claimed An Iowa Property As His Primary Residence And Regularly Flew From Wichita To Campaign Events In Iowa. According to the Daily Beast, "Lahn also owns property in Iowa, having bought his great-grandmother’s farm in his hometown of Belle Plaine, but there does not appear to be any indication that he treats this as a primary residence. Records reviewed by the Daily Beast indicate that he has never claimed any property in Iowa as his primary residence. When he refinanced the Iowa property in 2021, he and Annie waived the Iowa Homestead Tax Credit, a sign that they do not consider the Iowa property to be their primary home. Flight records also reveal that while Lahn, a licensed pilot who owns his own plane, travels to and from campaign events, he regularly flies in and out of Wichita to attend those events. These flights include his trip from Wichita to his ‘hometown’ in June for a campaign event. He even flew from Wichita to Des Moines to submit his paperwork for his nomination at the State Capitol." [Daily Beast, 8/6/26]
¶ October 2025-May 2026: Lahn’s Private Plane Made 37 Flights To Wichita And Spent 75 Nights In Wichita
From October 2025, One Month Before Lahn Launched His Gubernatorial Campaign, To May 2026, Lahn Made 37 Flights To Wichita, Kansas, Spent 75 Nights In Wichita, Spent 51 Nights In Belle Plaine, And 44 Nights In Other Iowa Towns. According to the Des Moines Register, "Since Oct. 1, 2025, about a month before Lahn launched his campaign, publicly available flight logs show that plane making 37 individual flights to Wichita, Kansas. Across 224 days, that averages to about one flight every six days. [...] According to the available data, which was tracked in Coordinated Universal Time, the plane in Lahn’s ownership spent 75 nights in Wichita since Oct. 1, 2025. Comparatively, the data show the plane spent 51 nights in Belle Plaine and 44 nights in other Iowa towns. There are 15 nights that indicate the plane was in other states. And for about a month early this year, the plane appeared to stay grounded in Des Moines." [Des Moines Register, 5/14/26]
- Across 224 Days, Lahn Had An Average Of One Flight Every Six Days. According to the Des Moines Register, "Since Oct. 1, 2025, about a month before Lahn launched his campaign, publicly available flight logs show that plane making 37 individual flights to Wichita, Kansas. Across 224 days, that averages to about one flight every six days." [Des Moines Register, 5/14/26]
¶ Lahn Said That If He Becomes Iowa Governor, He And His Family Would “Be In Iowa As Much As Humanly Possible”
Lahn Said That If He Becomes Iowa Governor, He And His Family Would “Be In Iowa As Much As Humanly Possible.” According to the Des Moines Register, "Lahn said he is not always the one to fly the plane, but he appreciates being able to make the roughly 60- to 90-minute flight to see the children or attend events. 'I'm in Iowa the majority of the time, a tremendous amount of time,' he said. 'And I have an airplane, and when I need to go down for things with the kids, it's an hour flight for me. And so I just try to make sure I'm fulfilling that obligation as best as I can. … I have no worries that we'll be able to fulfill every duty we need to on the campaign or as governor.' He said the current situation would not continue if he’s elected governor. ‘No, we've already had discussions about this and how that would work,’ he said. ‘But if I'm elected governor, it would be a different arrangement, and we’d work it out. Because, you know, we'd be in Iowa as much as humanly possible.’" [Des Moines Register, 5/14/26]
¶ Lahn Re-Registered To Vote In Iowa In 2024 After Living And Working In Kansas, Montana, And Colorado
¶ 2024: Lahn Re-Registered To Vote In Iowa, Just In Time To Qualify For Iowa’s Two-Year Residence Requirement To Run For Governor
Voter Registration Records Showed Lahn Voted In Iowa In 2016 Before Re-Registering In Iowa In 2024. According to the Des Moines Register, "Voter registration records show he was previously registered to vote in Iowa and last voted in 2016 before re-registering to vote in Iowa in 2024. He has voted in the 2024 general election and a 2025 local election. Lahn made the move after living in Wichita, where he and his wife, Annie, co-founded Wonder, a nontraditional private school.” [Des Moines Register, 5/14/26]
Lahn Re-Registered To Vote In Iowa On October 17, 2024, Just In Time To Meet Iowa’s Residency Requirement Of At Least Two Years To Run For Governor. According to the Iowa Starting Line, "Iowa requires governor candidates to have resided in the state for at least two years prior to their election date. On October 17, 2024, Lahn registered to vote in Iowa, just in time to meet the requirement. That same year, his wife Annie Lahn purchased a home near Wichita and declared on a mortgage document that it was her primary residence, not the house in Belle Plaine. One year later, the couple sold the Wichita home to an LLC for $1." [Iowa Starting Line, 6/3/26]
¶ Lahn Voted In Kansas Elections From 2018 To 2022 And Lahn’s Wife Declared A Wichita House As Her Primary Residence In 2024 Before Selling It To An LLC
2024-2025: Lahn’s Wife Purchased A Home Near Wichita And Declared It Her Primary Residence On A Mortgage Document, And Then Sold It To An LLC For $1. According to the Iowa Starting Line, "Iowa requires governor candidates to have resided in the state for at least two years prior to their election date. On October 17, 2024, Lahn registered to vote in Iowa, just in time to meet the requirement. That same year, his wife Annie Lahn purchased a home near Wichita and declared on a mortgage document that it was her primary residence, not the house in Belle Plaine. One year later, the couple sold the Wichita home to an LLC for $1." [Iowa Starting Line, 6/3/26]
Lahn Voted In Kansas In The 2018, 2020, And 2022 Elections. According to KMUW, "Lahn grew up near Sioux City, Iowa, graduated from University of Colorado in Boulder, worked for Montana and Colorado congressmen, served as Montana director of Americans for Prosperity and as an AFP fundraiser, and bought a Belle Plaine, Iowa, farm previously owned by relatives. He launched an unorthodox school in Wichita and voted in Kansas elections in the 2018, 2020 and 2022 cycles." [KMUW, 6/1/26]
2018: After Leaving Montana, Lahn Co-Founded Wonder, Inc., A Private K-12 School In Wichita, Kansas. According to the Iowa Starting Line, "The organization continues in Montana, but Lahn left the group shortly after. Lahn heads to Kansas to found a Koch-funded private school Lahn moved to Wichita, Kansas a few years later. There he co-founded a private school called Wonder. The pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade school opened in 2018 on the campus of Wichita State University. Tuition was $10,000 a year when it started, KSHB reported." [Iowa Starting Line, 6/3/26]
¶ Lahn Worked As Montana Director Of Americans For Prosperity And Worked For Steve Daines
2014-2015: Lahn Worked As Montana Director Of Americans For Prosperity. According to the Des Moines Register, "Lahn also previously worked as the Montana state director for Americans for Prosperity, a conservative political advocacy group backed by Charles Koch, from 2014 to 2015. And he has worked in Republican politics as a campaign staffer." [Des Moines Register, 6/4/26]
2011-2013: Lahn Worked For Montana Congressman Steve Daines And Worked As Campaign Manager For Daines’ Campaign.
[Legistorm, Zach Lahn, Accessed 6/10/26]
¶ Lahn Attended College In Colorado And Worked For Cory Gardner
2006-2009: Lahn Attended The University Of Colorado Boulder.
[Legistorm, Zach Lahn, Accessed 6/10/26]
2011: Lahn Worked For Colorado Congressman Cory Gardner.
[Legistorm, Zach Lahn, Accessed 6/10/26]